In a telecommunications network, subscribers may be classified as prepaid subscribers and postpaid subscribers. Postpaid subscribers typically register with a service provider and pay a monthly fee in order to receive telecommunications services. In contrast, a prepaid subscriber normally deposits an arbitrary amount of funds into an account prior to making any calls. As the prepaid subscriber makes calls, the account is debited in accordance with the duration of the calls. Oftentimes, prepaid accounts are configured so that all calls made by the prepaid subscriber are made at a specific rate irrespective of the destination or called party (e.g., $0.15 per minute). Thus, if the subscriber calls a local number, the prepaid subscriber is charged $0.15 per minute. Similarly, if the prepaid subscriber makes a long distance call the call is still charged $0.15 per minute.
While these static prepaid calling plans are convenient in many ways, problems can arise in certain situations. For example, suppose a prepaid subscriber wishes to contact a premium service, such as a weather information number, a sports information number, or the like. It may be desirable to charge more for calls to these services than calls to non-premium destinations. However, using a prepaid calling card or phone, such differential billing is not possible. As a result, one of two problems may occur. In one scenario, the subscriber may be prohibited by the service provider from calling premium services with the prepaid phone or service plan. Alternatively, the prepaid subscriber may be permitted to communicate with the premium services at the subscriber's prepaid calling rate. In this type of situation, since the prepaid subscription rate is often lower in cost than the calling rates associated with a premium service, a subscriber may effectively make “reduced rate” calls at the expense of the service provider.
Accordingly, there exists a need for methods, systems, and computer program products for providing variable rate prepaid telecommunications services using a weighting function.